Arranax DeVin
"No matter who, or what you are, be you King, God, Wyrm, or Demon; be you woodsman, sharecropper, smith, or fisherman, someone, some where will try to control you. The only way to prevent this is to hold control yourself." Description Black hair streaked silver with age, more or less black eyes, thin, though toned, with very, very pale skin. He carries himself with a no-nonsense air, and a chillingly unpleasant tone. He normally wears ornate robes that convey high social standing in certain Nothern cultures. This old mage seems to live a life cloaked in everlasting shadow. Though stories of his eating children stand as probable lies? Tales of his deeds, both mighty and vile are told in whispers. He carries two weapons most often. One is an enchanted frost scythe which he favors for medium range strikes, and killing blows like disembowlings, and beheadings. He also carries a cold hammered iron flesning knife with a rough oak handle (stained rust colored with blood) for 'close in' work, which has recently been wrapped in green tinted leather. Finally, he also tends to carry a small payload of well crafted, hand made arcane bombs. Though painted a golden yellow to hide their shells, they are constructed of quilted saronite to improve lethality. History The son of Shandruin DeVin, and Lady Astaryel, Arranax was born within his family's stronghold thirteen years prior to the onset of the first war, and in invasion of the South. During this phase of his development he began to foster an unabiding dislike for things 'not of this world' which would color his perceptions for the rest of his life. It was also during this time period that he was given as an apprentice to the Lady Karanzi Napheum to further his education. His first taste of real blood (not hunting bandits, trolls, gnolls, or other local Silverpine pests) came during the sack of Alterac in which he, his teacher, and many other Dalaranians lended their arcane fire to the cause of the Grand Alliance. Finding the people of Alterac to be revolting traitors to their species, he held no compunction against obeying increasingly brutal, outlandish commands from both his teacher, and his father. After the fall of Blackrock, and the end of the Second War (at least as it was on Azeroth) the future Lord DeVin was sent, through ties held in Dalaran to Silvermoon for additional education (and to remove him from local political strife resulting from some of the edicts the Lord DeVin had passed during the recent conflict). During this time frame, he honed his talents, made a point to study (when he wasn't drinking himself into oblivion) and eventually met his first wife. Most accounts of this time period list him as a somewhat care free, affable, pleasant young man who by and large was more interested in good wine, and chasing after what ever cosmic mystery held his attention at the moment than getting himself into any real trouble. Though he did retain some of the cold natured streak he'd developed under his family's instruction, a brighter, happier personal life away from the chilly, harsh climate of his homeland tended to obscure this. The worst trouble he found himself in during this time frame sat as a few public intoxication charges, and little else. This all came to an end though when, for lack of a better phrase, the Scourge happened. When the plague began to rage, and stories of undead lurching about throughout Lordaeron reached his father's ears, Shandruin ordered his child recalled. A command Arranax grudgingly obeyed, leaving his bride in the 'safety' of Dalaran while he returned home to tie up loose ends. Unbeknownst to him however, the current Lord had a plan in place. Enraged and incensed that King Menethil had ignored demands for a quarantine, and allowed the enchanted blight to spread (and further enraged the Kirin Tor had not forced the issue) Shandruin did the only thing he felt sensible in the event of both plague, and invasion. He closed the DeVin boarders, sealed the passes with landslides and avalanches, armed their sanctum's wards, and just waited out the distant conflict in the lands far below. Given the sack of Dalaran by the Scourge, it was all too predictable what had taken place with Arranax's family. Nursing a bitterness against Shandruin that would never quite abate, he bided his time. Finally, when the dust settled, and the survivors of Dalaran as well as what few other local nobility still persisted began to get their affairs in order Arranax opted to depose his father (with significant support from his mother, who was even less fond of the man than his son). This proved mournfully easy considering the claims of cowardice that flowed towards the overly expedient Shandruin. In reality this had only been the last nail in a coffin Shandruin had begun building since the second war. Generally disliked, and disapproved of, facing multiple censures, and outmaneuvered by wife and child, he abdicated. Holdings The Silverpine Uplands are a rugged, heavily forested strip of terrain, dominated in large part by jagged, snow capped mountains and countless small streams and creeks (owing to an abundance of precipitation, and melt water run off). The rocky soil tends to make for poor farming, and as such agriculture is limited (for the most part) to small slices of valley floor containing passable alluvial soil deposits. A handful of tiny villages dot the region, their primary income traditionally based off of a combination of forest products and small scale, non intensive farming. The only major water way of note is the River Vin, which by most standards is nothing more than an especially large creek. Upon this sits the family's seat. The keep its self is constructed in a style reminiscent of Dalaranian custom rather than the more sturdy, blocky castles and keeps of the South. It consists of a low, circular wall dotted with six spires to act as guard towers (the design being meant more for focusing magical defenses during a siege rather than more traditional means). Within the walls are several out buildings and stables clustering around the center of the primary spire. This tower rises far above the rest of the settlement, climbing even over the dense forests that surround it. Dominating the valley floor, it contains most of the important workings of the facility, including the sanctum at its peak. Natural resources are fairly scant within the region. Iron and steel are produced from local peat bogs, lumber is cut and traded at times, and high quality granite and marble are quarried locally. Historically, thin gold has been panned from the local rivers, but by the current era, these deposits have been by and large expended. The only export of major note is a recent one. After the current Lord took control, he exploited post war chaos to move in to the lotus trade. Black lotus grows oddly well in the local climate, and rocky, well drained soil when watered with cold melt water. This cash crop has more than fully replaced long depleted mineral deposits, and allowed the family to fund most of its recent undertakings. Category:Magus Senate of Dalaran Category:Characters Category:Kirin Tor Category:House of DeVin Category:Mages Category:Human Category:War Criminals Category:Dalaranian